COMPARISON OF FORAGE VALUE OF COMBINED SILAGES MADE FROM PERENNIAL LEGUMES, CEREAL CROPS AND CORN

Abstract

Combined silage is made from forages, which are rich in protein, fastdigesting carbohydrates and carotene. The components are selected so that the total moisture
content of the mixture is 60–70%. In order to achieve the goal and solve the problems of these
studies, we conducted laboratory experiments in 2023 to determine the total nutritional value
and quantitative content of the chemical composition of combined silages in a chemical laboratory using the equipment of the CUC “Center for Agricultural Research and Biotechnology” of the FSBSI Vologda Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In accordance with the obtained data, samples from legume and cereal grasses showed 15,73 % of
crude protein (highest content) and 11,00 MJ of metabolic energy. Cereal grasses have a
crude protein concentration of 14,91 % and metabolic energy of 10,73 MJ. The dry matter
content in the corn herbage was 24,42 %, crude protein reached the level of 8,72%, and the
metabolic energy was 10,12 MJ. Silage made from perennial legume and cereal grasses with
the addition of corn is characterized by maximum total nutritional value. The addition of legume-based herbage to the silage mass of corn significantly, by 21,11 %, increased the protein
concentration in the dry matter of combined silages compared to maize silage. Silage made
from perennial cereal grasses and corn contained 12,24 % of protein. The forage contains
quite a lot of fiber – 25,13 %, but little metabolic energy – 10,70 MJ.